Being Dead Wasn't That Bad (COMPLETE)

10. A Confession

"Martha!" Virginia exclaims. She pushes back her red curls, still damp from a bubble bath. She's in a little purple Disney princess nightdress now.

"Guess what my friend Ava said to me?" She asks, standing right in front of Martha and looking up at her, her hair falling back. "He said I looked like Merida! I look like Merida, huh?"

"Yeah, Virginia. You look like Merida." Martha goes and boops her button nose, even though her finger doesn't feel a thing, and Virginia didn't feel it either.

"But also guess what my other friend, her name is Hailey, guess what she said to me?" She turned away from Martha and sat at her little wooden play table, where pencils and markers were spread out in front of her.

Virginia grabbed a Vivid Violet and began to scribble. A kangaroo.

"I don't know, what?"

"I said guess," Virginia reiterated.

"Did she say you looked like Merida, too?"

"No!" She hollered, laughing. "She said that maybe I shouldn't really have a imaginary friend anymore because only little babies have that."

Martha frowned.
You're only six years old- you still are kind of a little baby.

"But I did not listen to her. I'm still your best friend forever! Just like Sadie the Salamander, huh?"

Virginia went through speech phases. This one was saying 'huh?'.

"Yes, just like Sadie the Salamander," Martha nodded, sitting across from her at the tiny table. When she first appeared in their house, sitting at the toddler table felt unnatural. Now, she was used to it and happy to sit there. Martha beamed at Virginia, proud of her for not listening to Hailey.

"Y'know, that story still don't have a good ending." She sighed, then slid her drawing over to her imaginary friend to let her see it.

She inspected the drawing. Virginia had gotten a lot better at drawing since they first met. She was impressed. Her kangaroo had crazy long legs and no neck, but it was good. She drew a little joey peeking out of it's oversized pouch. On the top, she had managed to write 'Cagnaroo'.

Virginia swiped the picture back.

"That looks amazing, Ginger. You should show your momma and your dad,"

The little girl shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"They're so busy. They're working really hard on their book." She leaned down and slipped the purple Cagnaroo into the bin of drawings she kept by her table. "I got a good idea! How 'bouts I draw you?" She suggested, picking up another piece of printer paper.

"I think you've drawn me before, haven't you?" Martha can recall a picture the girl did a long time ago.

"Yeah, I did, but I wanna do it again."

"Okay," Martha struck a pose, but Virginia was so busy coloring already that she didn't notice.

She reaches for Peach, for her imaginary friend's skin.

Brown-Tan for her long, wavy hair.

Vivid Violet for her dress.

Daffodil Yellow for her golden wings.

Jade Green for her bright eyes.

She even adds a detail with Bunny Brown- a birthmark at the corner of Martha's lips.

Martha thinks about the new one in comparison to the old one, which is still stuck on their fridge, and knows there's a big improvement. Virginia doesn't show Martha her drawing when she's finished. She just sits and stares at it.

"You doing okay, Ginger?"

"I think maybe that Hailey is right," She says quietly.

"What?"

"I think maybe you really aren't that real. Because nobody else can see you but me."

"Well, just because nobody else can see me doesn't mean I'm not real."

"I dunno about that. It doesn't make sense to me."

"You can see me, can't you?" Martha tries to convince her.

"Yeah I can see you, but-"

"Then that's enough for us." Martha finishes.

Virginia ponders this for a moment. "Okay," She finally says, smiling again like she believes her. But Martha knows she doesn't.

Virginia doesn't think of Martha for an entire week.